Club Discretionary Giving Committee Designates $1000 to Aid Australian Club

Haemish Sait was our club’s Australian Rotary Youth Exchange Student this past year.  Friday January 14, Eric and Anne Miller and boys took him to the airport to return home.  Though it was a sad good bye, what he faced when he arrived home was devastating.  His town of Charlton, Victoria, population 1,100, experienced its worst flood in over 100 years, cresting the day of his return.  The entire downtown was underwater and all the businesses destroyed.  It is estimated that over 80% of homes and businesses were flooded.  Unfortunately most people did not carry flood insurance (heretofore a rare occurrence).  Luckily Haemish’s family’s house on a hill was spared.  It is now the home for 4 families who have been displaced.  His grandmother’s home of 60 years and 3 of her sisters lost their homes.

Thanks to the generosity of our Discretionary Giving Committee, $1,000 will be sent to the Rotary Club of Charlton to help this small but so severely affected community recover from the flood.  This is yet another example of how our club pledges to provide service above self.  Additional contributions may be given to Mike Geesey or Billie Addleman.